


Sunshine and Riptides

by spaceprincessem



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Laura Hale, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Mates, Meet-Cute, Minor Angst, Minor Kate Argent - Freeform, beach au, minor mention of violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:20:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24985219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaceprincessem/pseuds/spaceprincessem
Summary: “Stiles.” He said with a small bow. “And we were wondering if you all wanted to join us in a game of sand volleyball. Lydia refuses to do any physical activity that isn’t power shopping,” Derek heard the strawberry blonde girl scoff, “and Isaac injured his ankle recently. We could use three extra players to do a game of four on four.”Derek realized, his heart dropping into his stomach, that Stiles’ invitation wasn’t just for his sister, but for him as well, considering together they made up a group of three. Laura’s grin was practically wicked as she looked at Derek.“We’d love to!” She said before Derek could refuse politely.“Awesome!” Stiles said, shooting Derek another one of those bright smiles.Derek wanted to argue that he was certainly not going to be joining them, but the look on Stiles’ face was enough that Derek would probably walk directly into the sun if the boy had asked.
Relationships: Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 11
Kudos: 418





	Sunshine and Riptides

**Author's Note:**

> This ended up being way longer than I had planned, but I was inspired when I was watching the sunset on the beach and I needed some cute fluffy sterek

Derek missed the trees. The dark greens standing tall against the mountains, mist pouring into the early mornings, sunlight falling onto the soft pines littered across the ground. If there was ever a place on earth that came close to heaven, well, then Derek would have said the mountains every time. There was something about the soft mornings with frost on the ground, a chill in the air that was enough to wake you from a peaceful slumber. There was familiarity in the way the wildlife moved between the trees, scampering over the babbling brooks. It was quiet. And god did Derek miss the quiet. 

He would have been happy to stay in his small cabin in the mountains forever. He had his books and his trees, what more was there? Although, Derek realized, he had been missing something that year he had spent alone in the woods. He missed his family. He missed having a pack. His mother had always told him an Omega on their own would never survive. His mother didn’t tell him anything anymore, but her words of wisdom still rung clear in his head and maybe that was part of the reason why he had packed up his belongings to move back home where his sisters had been begging since he had left. 

It was hard, coming back to a place that was a constant reminder of his parents and the life he had before the fire. How Laura and Cora had managed to stay after the funeral was beyond him. He wanted to leave and never look back. To be fair his sisters had moved closer to the beach, a change of scenery, a slightly different view, but still close to see the people they had grown up with. Coming back had been hard, but as soon as he was wrapped up in the arms of the two most important people in his life he almost couldn’t feel the dull ache in his chest.

He settled in with his sisters, their condo plenty big enough for the three of them. They had more than enough money from their parent’s life insurance that none of them had to work, but Derek liked to keep busy. It kept his mind on other things. Before the fire he had been set to go on a book tour, but now he was just hoping to find some semblance of inspiration to start his next novel. He had spent many nights staring at a blank page over the last year and he was determined to change that. Laura worked as a yoga instructor at a local gym in town and Cora was currently attending university studying marine biology. As much as he missed the woods he was happy to be with his pack again.

That is, until they were dragging him to the beach.

The beach was _loud_. 

Crowded with families and their crying children, college kids blasting their music, couples not so subtly making out behind the pier and just lots of noise. It was almost overwhelming. Derek wanted to hightail it out of there as soon as he stepped foot onto the sand, wondering who on earth enjoyed being out in the hot sun all day. He had, so far, been able to avoid it in the week he had moved back, but Laura was determined and once she set her mind on something she was going to do it.

“Don’t give me that look.” Laura chided as she shoved the beach bag into his arms for him to carry.

“There’s no look.” He said from behind his sunglasses, but he knew his eyebrows were giving him away.

“The beach is fun!” Cora supplied as she moved past her older siblings, a giant umbrella in her hand. “Just give it a chance, Der.”

“Fine.” Derek mumbled under his breath as he followed Cora out into the abyss. He knew there was no arguing with them. At least they had let him bring a book to entertain himself because he was not going into the water. That was where he drew the line.

They made quick work setting up the umbrella and the blankets in a way that all three of them would fit comfortably in the shade. Derek begrudgingly took off his shirt, earning him a few ogles and – ironically – wolf whistles from some surrounding people in the area. He just rolled his eyes hoping that the amount of girls hitting on him would be kept to a minimum. Cora and Laura only laughed at his apparent misery as they stripped down in their bathing suits as well. He had just settled down with his book when a scent on the wind made him sharply sit up, his body going rigid, muscles tense.

There was another pack nearby.

He began to look around, but the closest people to them were a group of what looked like college friends setting up a volleyball net. They were laughing and joking around, their music actually playing at a normal volume that didn’t make Derek scowl, but there was no mistaking that some of them were werewolves.

“Relax,” Laura said as she lowered her sunglasses to look at her brother, “we’ve already spoken to their alpha and are mostly acquainted with each other.”

“Yeah,” Cora said as she watched the group thoughtfully, “Scott was his name? He’s kind of a pushover, but super sweet.”

Derek didn’t let his guard down entirely as he continued to watch the group. He must have been glaring extra hard as one of the boys turned, eyeing him with interest, a thick brow cocking slightly. He was pale, skin dotted with moles, dark messy hair and the most beautiful brown eyes Derek had ever seen. The boy gave him an impish grin before he turned to the guy standing next to him, whispering something before they both fell into fits of laughter. They seemed completely unbothered by the three werewolves sitting just a couple of feet away from them. 

“If you say so.” Derek finally said, pulling his gaze away from the boy before he was caught staring again.

Derek had only made it three pages into his book when the boy with the doe brown eyes ran over to where they were sitting, a grin plastered on his face. Derek had thought he looked attractive from afar, but up close he was beautiful. He was tall and lanky, but surprisingly muscular with broad shoulders. His smile was infectious and Derek had to force his lips to not curl up in the corners just by looking at him. Thank god his book was covering the now creeping blush crawling over his cheeks.

“Hey,” he said in a bright voice, “Laura and Cora, right?”

Laura nodded her head. “Impressive.”

The guy’s smile only seemed to grow wider and Derek felt like he was burning despite being perfectly tucked in the shade.

“Well, someone has to be the brain of the pack and it’s not going to be Scott.” He responded teasingly with a smirk as he threw a pointed look over his shoulder.

“Hey!” One of the guys called back – Scott, Derek was guessing – but he was grinning too.

“Sorry,” Laura said as she flipped her dark hair over her shoulders, “we didn’t catch your name.”

“Stiles.” He said with a small bow. “And we were wondering if you all wanted to join us in a game of sand volleyball. Lydia refuses to do any physical activity that isn’t power shopping,” Derek heard the strawberry blonde girl scoff, “and Isaac injured his ankle recently. We could use three extra players to do a game of four on four.”

Derek realized, his heart dropping into his stomach, that Stiles’ invitation wasn’t just for his sister, but for him as well, considering together they made up a group of three. Laura’s grin was practically wicked as she looked at Derek.

“We’d love to!” She said before Derek could refuse politely.

“Awesome!” Stiles said, shooting Derek another one of those bright smiles.

Derek wanted to argue that he was certainly not going to be joining them, but the look on Stiles’ face was enough that Derek would probably walk directly into the sun if the boy had asked. He left his poor book on a towel, mourning it as he shuffled behind his sister to where Stiles and his friends were set up. They were quickly introduced, but the only name Derek felt like he could remember was Stiles’ and Scott, because he was the alpha his sister had mentioned.

“I’m calling dibs on having Derek on our team.” Stiles said as he grabbed Derek’s arm to pull him onto the same side of the net he was standing.

Usually when strangers grabbed Derek he would recoil from their touch, but Stiles was warm against his arm and Derek had to swallow the lump in his throat because it was actually really pleasant.

“Fine, but I get Scott.” A tall blonde boy – Jackson was his name? – said, causing both Stiles and Scott to whine.

“You can’t break up the dynamic duo!” Stiles cried as he released Derek, reaching out for Scott, wrapping his arm around the alpha.

Derek tilted his head to the side, watching the ease and familiarity between the two boys. Derek could smell Scott all over Stiles and he had to push down the strange lurch of jealous twisting in his stomach. He didn’t know Stiles, but it was clear from the way the two boys interacted that they had to have been mates. He knew the signs. His mother and father had been mates. Having a mate wasn’t like finding the other half of your soul like most romantic media would have you believe. His mother had always described it as finding the person that always pushed you to be your best self. They challenged you when you needed it, offered comfort in times of strife, and loved you with every fiber of their being. They smelled like happiness and hope and home. Derek had always wanted to know that feeling. He had foolishly thought he had found his mate years ago, but he had been a stupid teenager and now wondered if his mother had just made it all up. But seeing Scott and Stiles move with each other, laugh together, it made Derek think that maybe mates were a real thing after all. 

This train of thought only lasted a few more miserable seconds as he watched Scott get pulled under the net by a dark haired girl – Kira? – and into a quick kiss. His eyes immediately went to Stiles who just stuck out his tongue, telling them to get a room. He was surprised to find that he was relieved by this sudden revelation that Stiles and Scott were probably not mates after all. He shook the small smile beginning to form on his face as Stiles moved to stand next to him in the sand.

“I really hope you’re good,” Stiles whispered, “because I’m very uncoordinated while Scott and Jackson have unfair werewolf powers.”

Derek chuckled as he flashed Stiles his blue eyes, causing the boy to grin immediately. Derek’s smile fell when he spotted Laura eyeing him suspiciously from across the net. He could practically feel Cora’s mischievous grin burning into his back.

“Isaac, keep score!” Scott called and the curly headed blonde under the umbrella threw a thumbs up so they could start the game.

Stiles hadn’t been lying when he said he had zero coordination, but Derek found it oddly enduring and hilarious to watch as he flailed his, albeit muscular, arms. Luckily, he and Cora’s athletic ability made up for Stiles and the other girl, Allison, wasn’t half bad either. It didn’t take long for Derek to relax with their new friends. He dove into the sand to save a play, accidently taking out Stiles who had unceremoniously fallen on top of Derek laughing like it had been the funniest thing in the entire world. Derek tried not to blush when Stiles’ fingers brushed against his chest before he offered to help Derek to his feet. In the end their team lost by a few points, but it didn’t stop the immediate teasing and banter from the winning team.

“Jackson cheated!” Stiles said, pointing at the blonde. “I swear I saw him kick sand in Cora’s eyes, stopping her from making an amazing play that would have knocked Scott on his ass!” 

“Keep dreaming, Stilinski.” Jackson called back as he plopped down next to the strawberry blonde, Lydia, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. 

Derek rubbed the back of his neck as his sister came to his side. He started to move in the direction of their towels, when Scott called them back over.

“Do you want to join us?” The alpha asked as he reached into a cooler pulling out beer, passing it around the group. “We have plenty of food and drinks to share.”

“Yeah,” Stiles said as he took a sip from his beer, Derek was definitely _not_ looking at Stiles’ lips move around the bottle, “Allison packed way too many sandwiches for all of us to eat.”

“Only because Isaac complained I didn’t pack enough the last time we were here.” The girl muttered as she sat down next to the curly headed wolf in question.

“We wouldn’t want to impose,” Laura began.

“Nonsense.” Stiles said with a wave of his hand. “We can’t make you work up an appetite and not provide nourishment in return.”

“Well, I won’t say no.” Cora grinned as she moved towards Scott, reaching for the outstretched beer in his hand.

“Cora, you’re not twenty one!” Derek groaned as her hand tightened around the bottle. He watched as Scott’s eyes widened, not letting it go as he looked between Laura and Derek.

“Uh, is this okay?” He asked tentatively, clearly not wanting to start a pack war in the middle of a crowded beach.

Derek said no at the same time Laura said yes. They both turned to glare at each other, but Cora had already pulled the beer out of Scott’s grasp, taking a swing before Derek could stop her.

“Wow, Scott, providing alcohol to underage drinkers,” Stiles teased, wagging his finger, “better not let my dad catch you doing that.”

“Har har.” Scott deadpanned as he handed Derek and Laura a beer as well. 

Derek settled himself next to Stiles at the edge of the blankets. While he had fun playing volleyball, this setting was a bit more intimate and required a lot more talking. That was where Cora and Laura thrived. Both girls immediately fell into conversation with the group. Derek was not much of a people person and rarely opened up to anyone that weren’t his family. He was more content with listening and not engaging. To his great surprise Stiles had turned to him and immediately began talking. For a few minutes Derek was terrified he was going to fuck this up. It had been a long time since he had talked to someone extensively that wasn’t Cora or Laura. Thankfully, Stiles made it easy. He did most of the talking, ranging from things like the classes he was taking or his opinion on the latest _Star Wars_ movie – not great, Derek might add. 

Derek discovered that Stiles was in his senior year of college majoring in computer science engineering with a minor in film studies. Derek found himself listening intently when Stiles talked, watching as he made gestures with his hands as if it would prove his point further. It was enchanting and Derek felt like he could watch Stiles talk for hours and – judging by the fact that Stiles hadn’t slowed down yet – Stiles probably _could have_ talked for that long. He would ask Derek questions every now and then, but wasn’t put off when Derek didn’t give much in return. He liked Stiles, but he wasn’t quite ready to let his guard down yet if he could help it. 

“-and hey you should come to the bonfire party at the end of the month!” Stiles said, catching Derek by surprise.

“What?” Derek asked, trying to pretend like he wasn’t just watching Stiles’ tongue dart out to lick his lips.

For the first time since he had met Stiles the boy looked _shy_ , his cheeks turning a faint shade of pink. 

“There’s this huge bonfire party that gets thrown every year at the end of summer, like s’mores galore and live music,” Stiles said a little more softly, “we always go and I was just thinking it would be fun if you joined us. And your sisters too.” He added quickly. “If they want.”

Derek opened his mouth to respond, but no words were coming out. He could somehow feel both of his sisters looking at him intensely while still holding their own in the conversations going on behind him.

“Yeah,” Derek finally, _thankfully_ , managed to get out, “that sounds like fun.”

The look on Stiles’ face made Derek’s heart melt and he really hoped that the other werewolves in the group were too polite to pick up on the loud thumping emitting from his chest. He knew he was going to have to deal with Cora and Laura’s teasing later, but it would be absolutely mortifying if Stiles’ supernatural friends started giving him weird looks when they had just met each other.

“Enough talk, let’s hit the water.” Cora announced as she stood up, taking off for the crashing waves before them.

The rest of the group followed, all of them clamoring to their feet. Derek watched as Stiles and Allison helped Isaac onto Scott’s back before both boys took off at full speed behind Cora. Laura was already challenging Jackson to a race, while the others took their sweet time.

“You coming?” Stiles asked Derek when he realized the wolf wasn’t following them.

“I’m not much of an ocean person.” Derek said with a slight shrug of his shoulders. He could feel the sweat glistening on his chest – not unnoticed by a group of girls sitting just to the left of them who were pointing and giggling in his direction – and the water did look refreshing.

“Please,” Stiles scoffed, “if my scrawny ass can handle the waves then your god like structure definitely will be able to.”

Derek wanted to argue that Stiles was very far from being scrawny, but he firmly kept his mouth shut as Stiles wiggled an eyebrow at him, that impish grin he had seen early firmly planted on his lips.

“I have a feeling that you don’t take no for an answer.” Derek sighed as he got to his feet, slowing following Stiles towards the water.

“You catch on pretty quickly.” Stiles beamed as he clapped Derek on the shoulder.

By the time they had reached the water there was an all out splash war going on, which Stiles eagerly joined. Derek only had a moment to escape, but he was quickly pulled in by Cora before he took his chance. At some point Stiles had ended up on his back, urging him forward so they could properly soak Scott and Kira, who had promptly started making out. Derek felt goosebumps run up his arm as Stiles’ warm breath tickled his neck, lips close to his ear. When Derek took in a deep breath he realized that Stiles smelled like salt water, sunscreen, and a little bit of hope.

-

They had exchanged numbers with the pack at the end of the day, making plans to meet up for the bonfire. Derek was exhausted from all of the social interaction, but it was a good sort of exhaustion. He felt happy. Really happy. While he and his sisters would always be pack, the idea of expanding that, making them stronger was almost too much to handle. It was too early to hope, but Derek couldn’t help notice how well he and his sisters fit in with the group of friends, like they belonged. While he enjoyed getting to know them he couldn’t keep his mind off of Stiles. And, apparently, Stiles couldn’t keep his mind off of Derek either. Not even fifteen minutes after they had left the beach Stiles was already texting him.

_S: Since you’re newish in town it is my duty to show you all of the cool local places so you don’t fall into the tourist trap._

_D: Taco Bell doesn’t count as local_

Derek imagined Stiles snorting at that and he couldn’t help the small smile that filled his face. He also couldn’t help notice that Laura was looking at him with a much too knowing look. He pointedly turned away from her to read Stiles’ reply.

_S: Oh, Sourwolf has jokes! I’ll have you know I’ve only ever been to Taco Bell when I’m extremely intoxicated_

_S: It’s perfectly placed across from our favorite bar in town_

Derek groaned. If this place was anything like the high end cocktail joints he had seen along the strip then Derek knew he was not going to like it, but he also didn’t want to insult Stiles this early into their budding friendship. His phone buzzed again, catching him off guard.

_S: Don’t worry, it’s low key and looks like it was plucked from a tiny mountain town whose name is only known because it’s home to a dangerous serial killer_

Derek just gaped at the text for a moment. He had only spent a few hours at best with Stiles, barely speaking, and somehow this guy knew Derek like they had been friends for years.

_S: Ooh, also! There’s this cool coffee shop that has the best chai lattes in the world, I swear or my name isn’t Stiles Stilinski_

_S: Well, technically my first name is Mieczyslaw, but that’s besides the point because I promise those chai lattes are really good!_

_S: Did I mention there was a bookshop right next to the coffee place? Like not just your typical top ten best sellers, I mean weird and strange and kind of creepy books no one has ever heard of_

Stiles texted like he talked and Derek was enjoying every moment of it. Sometimes he didn’t have time to respond because Stiles would be sending him another text completely changing the subject, but he made note of all the places that sounded interesting.

_S: Oh my god, I am so sorry I’ve been blowing up your phone for the past hour! Feel free to ignore me for the next forever if that’s easier for you_

Derek quickly responded that he didn’t mind at all. He was half afraid that Stiles was annoyed by how little he was replying, but Stiles never seemed to mind.

“You’ve become oddly popular.” Cora smirked over her homework as his phone buzzed again.

Derek just flipped her off before he settled deeper into his chair, digging into the paragraph length text Stiles had sent him about some movie he had watched for his film study class. If he was being completely honest Derek didn’t want to wait until the end of the month to see Stiles again, but he had been terrible at making the first move. Every time he had worked up the courage to ask Stiles to hang out at one of the places he mentioned he panicked and quickly deleted the whole thing before Cora or Laura could send it.

He only had to wait two days for Stiles to be the one to invite him out to his favorite sushi place for lunch. Any of the nerves he had worked up all morning at hanging out with Stiles one on one instantly melted once he had seen the bright smile on Stiles’ face. Soon they were hanging out everyday and Derek was spending more time with him than with his own sisters, but they didn’t seem to mind.

Everything with Stiles was easy. While he did talk – _a lot_ – he also listened. Somehow Stiles had squeezed through the cracks in the wall Derek had built years ago and he was sharing more and more information about his personal life. He was surprised to find out that Stiles’ mom had passed away when he was younger, leaving just him and his dad. This, in turn, allowed Derek to tell him about his parents and how they had perished in fire while he and his sisters had been on a weekend trip together. He was glad that confession came out while they were in Stiles’ room watching Netflix and not at one of the many local places Stiles was dragging Derek to around town. 

Stiles invited them out for gatherings with the pack too. They went to the serial killer bar Stiles had mentioned the first night they were texting. They met up for ultimate Frisbee in the park and picnics on the beach. Derek had never laughed so much since the fire. While his sisters had adapted better than he had after their parents died he could tell spending time with this pack was good for them too. Laura’s eyes were shining brighter and Cora looked like she didn’t have a care in the world. He, selfishly, kept Stiles away from his sisters, though, not quite ready for them to pester the poor human yet. 

He tried not to be disappointed when they had wormed their way into his coffee – not date, it wasn’t a date, no Laura it wasn’t a _date_! – meet up with Stiles a day before the bonfire. He figured they would corner Stiles one way or another considering Derek wouldn’t shut up about him since they had met.

“Laura he fixed his hair again!” Cora cackled as she elbowed Derek, pulling a deep blush from her older brother.

“I did _not_.” Derek grumbled as he pulled the door open, allowing his sister to go in front of him so he could tussle his hair in peace. 

“Our condo is starting to smell distinctively of Stiles.” Laura teased as she scrunched her nose.

Derek refused to look at either of them. Stiles had only been over a few times, so there was no way it was starting to smell like salt water, and vanilla, and sunshine. And happiness. He’d notice Stiles’ packs scent was strong and Derek tried not to put too much of himself on Stiles, but it was hard when the boy sat so close that their knees or shoulders touched whenever they were together. He was beginning to smell less like Scott and more like Derek as the weeks progressed. He just hoped Scott didn’t mind.

“Just order your coffee.” Derek said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew Stiles was already grabbing them a table out on the back patio. If he listened closely he could hear the steady rhythm of the boy's heart even amongst the crowd of people. It was comforting in a way Derek never wanted to admit.

They had just picked up their drinks, making their way to where Stiles was waiting for them, when a voice called out across the shop. Derek froze, muscles going stiff. He could see his sisters tensing next to him. Derek had hoped he would never hear that voice again.

“Derek! Is that you?” 

What would have been pleasant to anyone else that was listening Derek could hear the hiss in the voice, like a snake. Because Kate Argent was a fucking snake.

“Kate.” Derek responded through gritted teeth.

The tall blonde leered at him as she walked over, hips moving seductively, like she had just found the perfect toy to play with.

“I didn’t realize you were back in town.” She pouted, hands resting on her cocked hip. “Tired of hiding in the mountains?”

Derek could hear Cora growling lowly and Laura’s eyes were narrowed in a glare, but Kate didn’t seem to mind.

“What do you want?” Derek asked. He wasn’t going to play her game.

Kate looked between Cora and Laura, like she was searching for their fangs to poke out between their lips, but there was still that stupid smile plastered to her face.

“Funny how nothing’s changed since the good ol’ days.” She hummed as she reached out to stroke his chin. “Still have your sisters defending you because the big bad beta can’t take care of himself.” 

Derek felt his hands balled into fist as he jerked out of her reach. Some people around the coffee shop were starting to watch now and he really couldn’t afford to go full wolf in front of an audience. He knew that and so did Kate. She was baiting him. Before he had a chance to retort there was a crashing sound from behind them.

“Oh my god!” 

Stiles came stumbling down, his iced coffee _accidentally_ pouring all over Kate’s white button up. Kate’s mouth opened in a snarl as Stiles stood up straight, pretending to be embarrassed.

“Fuck, Kate, sorry,” Stiles said, smirking now, “I must have tripped over your bitchiness.” 

Derek did a double take. Stiles had just said Kate’s name. Had he been around when Derek had responded to her? Did Stiles know Kate?

All of Kate’s fake pleasantness had dropped as she turned her glare at Stiles. “You think you’re so cute, don’t you Stilinski?” 

Derek tried not to let his jaw drop at the eerie familiarity between the pair. He knew there was a story behind this meeting, but he was too shocked by what had just happened – and a little gratified at Kate’s miserable state – to really say anything.

“Scott seems to think so.” Stiles said with a wink.

Kate’s eyes were practically murderous and Derek moved so he was standing just in front of Stiles because there was no way he was going to let this woman near him. Kate seemed to track the movement, but she was still too upset about the iced coffee dripping down her shirt to make any sort of move.

“Smells like dog in here anyway.” She sniffed before turning on her heel and leaving. She threw Derek one last glare before she disappeared into the crowd outside.

“Dog jokes, so original.” Stiles said with a roll of his eyes before he turned to the three wolves who seemed too surprised to say anything. “Ugh, now I need a new coffee, but it was totally worth the extra $4.75 to see Kate’s face when I dumped it all over her shirt.”

Stiles was grinning, but the only thing Derek could do was blink his eyes at the boy standing in front of him. No one, besides his sisters, had ever stood up for him like that before. Also, Stiles knew Kate. How the fuck did he know Kate?

“You know Kate Argent?” Laura had beat Derek to the punch.

Stiles rubbed the back of his neck, giving them a sheepish grin. “Uh, you know Kate Argent?”

All three Hales exchanged a quick glance before nodding their heads in unison.

“Huh,” Stiles said, still rubbing his neck, “small world. Um, Let me just buy a new coffee and we can go talk outside.”

“Oh no,” Laura said, her shock somewhat melting into a smirk, “the coffee is on me, or well Kate, but…” She only chuckled as she moved to go order Stiles a new drink.

They moved out to the table on the back patio. It was tucked perfectly in the corner, surrounded by large plants, giving them the right amount of privacy. Derek was trying to fit the pieces together. Somehow Stiles knew Kate Argent, his ex-girlfriend and known werewolf hunter. It was impossible to imagine how two very different people had run into each other. 

“So,” Cora said, drawing out the vowel as she sipped on her coffee, “how do you know the cobra in heels?”

Stiles barked a laugh at Cora’s insult, causing the smallest of smiles to curl onto Derek’s face. He was still on edge from running into Kate, but that was slowly fading the longer he was around Stiles.

“You remember Allison, right?” Stiles asked. The wolves nodded and Stiles cleared his throat before continuing. “Well, she’s kind of Kate’s niece.”

Derek nearly spat out his coffee. “What?”

“Allison is nothing at all like Kate.” Stiles explained quickly, catching the look of angry confusion written on all of their faces. “She and her father have been estranged from the Argent family for years now.”

“You know what the Argent family is known for, right?” Laura asked, a dangerous edge to her tone.

Stiles nodded a grim expression on his face. “Werewolf hunters.”

Derek held his breath as he watched Stiles with guarded curiosity. He was starting to worry this thing between him and Stiles was too good to be true and he was going to regret opening up to the boy who seemed so kind and genuine if he ran with werewolf hunters. 

“Scott’s my best friend,” Stiles started as if he could read Derek’s mind, “and the alpha of our pack. He was bitten back in our sophomore year of high school. A lot of strange and complicated things happened after that. Like _a lot_ of weird shit that would take me hours to explain, like our kanima problem. That was by far the strangest thing and-“ Stiles paused, laughing nervously, “sorry, sometimes I tend to ramble when I get nervous.”

Derek reached across the table giving Stiles’ hand a gentle squeeze. Stiles gave him a small smile before he took a deep breath, continuing.

“Right, around the same time Scott had been bitten he started dating Allison. No one knew what her family really did. Obviously, Scott is with Kira now and Allison is dating Isaac, but for the most part the pack was doing fine.” Derek noticed Stiles was playing with the straw wrapper, his eyes focused on his drink. “It wasn’t until Kate, and Allison’s grandfather, Gerard showed up that shit got real.”

Cora and Laura hissed at the name, causing Stiles to look up. 

“Gerard Argent is a monster.” Laura growled into her drink.

“Yes,” Stiles said quietly, “he is. He and Kate tried to have Scott and Isaac killed.”

“What?” Cora asked, shock evident in her voice. 

Derek could smell Stiles’ anxiety now, drowning the sweet scents of vanilla and sunshine. He was moving nervously in his seat, fingers twisting around the wrapper.

“He has a pretty good left hook too.” Stiles murmured.

Derek tensed in his seat, his eyes widening as he looked at Stiles. Out of the corner of his eye he could see his sisters exchange a quick glance, but his focus was on the boy in front of him. He was so used to seeing the vibrant and never-ending ball of energy that was so Stiles. He was always smiling, voice laced with sarcasm and witty comebacks. This was nothing like the person Derek had begun to like over the past month. It made his stomach clench, his inner wolf howling with despair. 

“Stiles.” Derek spoke quietly, because now he needed to know what Stiles meant by that, even though he could probably put the pieces together.

“Gerard, uh,” Stiles said as he tried to force a smile on his face, like what he was about to say didn’t bother him, “kind of kidnapped me in order to bait Scott.”

Derek’s jaw was clenched tight and he had to dig his fingers into his thighs to stop the claws from coming out.

Stiles gave off a humorless laugh. “Sometimes my filter doesn’t always run at the same speed as my brain, and at seventeen I was a lot more mouthier than I am now.” Stiles ran a shaky hand through his hair. “Gerard didn’t find my sarcasm too charming and beat me to a pulp before Scott arrived.”

Derek closed his eyes, knuckles white as he gripped the table. He was trying very hard to control his shift, but the anger he felt at the thought of that man hurting Stiles was overwhelming to say the least. Maybe Stiles understood as Derek felt the gentle brush of fingers over his skin, anchoring him.

“Hey,” Stiles said soothingly, “I’m okay, it was a long time ago. Besides Gerard got what he deserved. It’s just too bad Kate managed to get away with it.”

Derek finally opened his eyes and was greeted with a warm smile curled onto Stiles’ lips. 

“Allison hasn’t spoken to Kate in years,” Stiles continued after a moment, “actually I better give her a heads up she was spotted in town.” He quickly pulled out his phone, frowning slightly. “I should probably tell Scott too, just in case. How do you know Kate?” He asked after shooting two text messages on his phone.

Cora and Laura turned their attention towards Derek, their eyes softening with sadness. Stiles followed their movement, his frown only growing deeper.

Derek figured he might as well rip the band aid off. “Kate’s my ex-girlfriend.”

Now it was Stiles’ turn to be shocked. Derek watched his mouth fall open before he seemed to gather himself. His eyes narrowed, a fire Derek had never seen before burning in the amber pools. He looked fiercely protective and Derek couldn’t help, but find that _extremely_ attractive.

“What did she do to you?” He growled so very much like the wolves he ran with. 

Derek fiddled with the handle of his coffee cup, not meeting Stiles’ eyes for a long while. If there was one thing just as painful to talk about as the fire it was his relationship with Kate Argent. 

“We didn’t realize who she was when she first came to town.” Derek spoke quietly. He wanted Stiles to know, but he was also terrified of what the boy would think of him afterwards. “I was sixteen and dumbly in love because she gave me everything that I wanted.”

He felt gentle fingers curling around his wrist, warmth filling him at the touch.

“Turns out she just wanted to destroy our entire family,” Derek continued, eyes trained on the pale thumb making soothing circles against his skin, “luckily we found out her plan before she could go through with it.”

It was just a small summary of the hell that was Kate Argent, but Derek was not ready to go into details about it. He knew Stiles understood and maybe, one day, he would be brave enough to let that part of his life go.

“I’ll make sure Kate knows that she has to go through me before she can even think of getting to you.” Stiles said seriously, the fire in his eyes reflected in the tone of his voice, causing Derek to look up at him.

Derek swallowed the lump in his throat. He wanted nothing more than to leap across the table and pull Stiles into a kiss. He remained firmly planted in his seat though, instead he gave Stiles a smile, nodding his head in appreciation.

“Well,” Stiles said as he turned to look at his sisters, who were only beaming in the human’s direction, “I was hoping this coffee date was going to include embarrassing Derek Hale stories from his childhood.” He laughed as he ran a hand through his hair. “Not ‘here’s all of my past trauma’ please don’t run away from me now.”

“Oh,” Laura teased, her smile becoming positively _evil_ , “we still have plenty of time for a few of those.”

Derek just groaned accepting his fate. The rest of the outing passed in good spirits. Stiles found their childhood stories enduring and very hilarious, but Derek was just happy to see him laughing and full of energy again. Laura moved to take their cups and plates back into the coffee shop while Cora excused herself to the bathroom so it was just the two of them at the table.

“Hey,” Stiles said, not one for being left in silence too long, “I was wondering if maybe you would want to meet up an hour before the party, just the two of us.”

Derek felt his cheeks burning again for what had to have been the hundredth time that day. Stiles’ voice was shy again, but his amber eyes, caught in the afternoon sunlight, were sparkling almost like they were beta gold. It nearly took Derek’s breath away.

“Yeah,” Derek forced out realizing he had been silent a little too long, “I would like that.”

Stiles’ smile was bright. Derek felt like he was staring into the sun.

“Awesome!” Stiles said, a little out of breath, “The party doesn’t start until it gets dark, but the beach has the best sunsets in the world and I know the perfect spot to watch them.”

-

He knew his sisters were trying _very_ hard not to give him too much shit as he got ready to head to the beach an hour before they were going to meet up with Scott’s pack. He had changed his shirt at least three times before Cora told him the dark green Henley made his eyes pop and he should stick with that one. Derek didn’t know why he was so nervous. He had hung out with Stiles just the two of them all month, so it shouldn’t be any different now.

Except it was.

Derek had tried hard not to think about the way he felt when he was around Stiles. He tried not to dwell on how his usual scents were starting to smell more like hope and happiness than salt water and vanilla. He dared not dream that Stiles could be someone more than just a friend. Derek had given Stiles a glimpse of the horrors in his past, an out, but instead of turning away Stiles had just pulled him closer. The past year Derek felt like he had been caught in a riptide, being pulled out to sea against his will, drowning in his guilt and sorrow, with no one to save him. He knew he always had his sisters, but the idea of having someone who loved Derek, really loved him for everything that he was, a mate, that was more than he could hope for.

All of his thoughts and fears swirling in his head immediately disappeared as he watched Stiles wave at him from the edge of the water. The sun was low in the sky, its warm rays casting Stiles in an almost heavenly glow. He was sunshine in its purest form and Derek wanted to bask in it forever.

“Perfect timing,” Stiles grinned, “come on we have to hurry.” He said as he took Derek’s hand pulling him along the beach.

Derek followed silently, letting Stiles babble about whatever came to his mind. Derek could tell he was nervous and excited, his heart pounding in his chest as his fingers curled tighter in Derek’s own, warm hands. It took several minutes, but Stiles finally came to a stop presenting a large pile of rocks overlooking the water where the sun was just beginning to dip beyond the horizon. They climbed the pile, sitting so their shoulders were brushing.

The sky was painted in colors of pinks, oranges, yellows, purples, and a hint of dark blue. It was beautiful. Easily the prettiest sunset Derek had ever seen. The only thing more beautiful was the boy sitting next to him, eyes wide with amazement as the last dying rays tumbled over his face. 

“So,” Stiles said, turning to catch a glimpse of Derek, “I think Scott is kind of annoyed how much I smell like you.” 

“Oh.” Derek said, not sure how to respond. He had tried not to overstep, but it was so hard to not scent Stiles when they spent most of their days together.

“He told me if I didn’t make a move soon he was going to kick me out of the pack.” Stiles teased, making sure Derek knew that he wasn’t being serious in the slightest.

 _Oh_.

“Actually, that was a group threat.” Stiles said with a pout. “It’s not my fault half of them are werewolves and can smell my feelings and the other half are too perceptive for their own good.”

 _Oh fuck_.

Derek dared looked up into Stiles’ golden, amber eyes. There was openness and vulnerability there, despite the amount of casualness in his tone.

“I, uh,” Stiles began, “it’s not just me, right?”

Derek shook his head, not trusting his brain to say anything that could ruin this. Stiles’ tongue darted out to lick his lips and the sun was practically set behind them, but Derek could care less about that now.

“I know I’m not a werewolf or any supernatural creature for that matter, “ Stiles began, his leg bouncing nervously, “but I know myself and I’ve always followed my gut and trusted my heart. I’ve met a lot of people over the past few years, but no one has come close to how I feel when I’m with you.”

“Stiles…” Derek began, but the human just shook his head, wanting to continue.

“I don’t know how to describe it.” Stiles murmured. “It’s not like some weird high school crush where I doodle your name in my notebook all day. It’s like when I see you my heart stops in my chest and the days feel brighter and I can’t stop thinking about you, which I hope isn’t creepy since we’ve only known each other for a month.”

“Not creepy.” Derek interjected to calm Stiles’ now panicked look.

Stiles let out a sigh of relief before diving back into his confession. “I’ve lived here all my life, but somehow, being with you has really made it feel like home.”

Derek felt his heart stop in his chest. 

Happiness. Hope. Home. 

That was Stiles to Derek and Derek to Stiles. 

Derek didn’t waste anymore time as he surged forward, bringing their lips together in a kiss. There was no hesitation from Stiles as he hungrily kissed back, arms wrapping around Derek’s neck, fingers twisting in his hair. Derek wanted to kiss Stiles _everywhere_. Maybe Stiles understood that as he tilted his head to the side, exposing his neck. Derek’s inner wolf whined in hunger and appreciation as he moved his lips to the delicate skin, earning him the most pleasant moan from Stiles. Derek’s very little self control at not ripping Stiles’ clothes off right there was waning the more their lips moved against each other.

“We could totally ditch the bonfire if you want to move this party elsewhere.” Stiles said breathlessly, his lips swollen and red from where Derek had gently bitten down.

As much as Derek wanted to do that he also wanted to share his happiness with his sisters, with his new pack. “You know, I’ve never had a s’more.”

Stiles’ jaw dropped at that, looking immediately affronted. “ _Pardon_?” He breathed. “No boyfriend of mine is going to continue on in life without my famous Stilinski S’mores. Thank god I told Lydia to grab an extra pack of Reese Cups.”

Derek tried to ignore the small flutter in his chest at the word _boyfriend_ , but only smiled as Stiles pulled him from the rocks. The stars were starting to sprinkle in the indigo sky and the smell of smoke was wafting in the distance. They walked, hand in hand, back to where the party was starting to pick up. They quickly spotted their friends, who were just cheering and wolf whistling as the pair walked over. Stiles gave them a mock bow, but all Derek could do was blush furiously, especially when he caught his sisters’ eyes.

“About time.” Scott said as he patted Stiles on the back, grinning. “I didn’t know how much more I could take.”

“Yeah,” Isaac added from the cooler he was sitting on, “Stiles wouldn’t _shut up_ about you.”

“Funny,” Cora said with a wicked grin, “Derek was just as annoying with how many times he said Stiles’ name.”

Derek thought he couldn’t blush any harder, but Stiles just rolled his eyes. “Don’t laugh, Scott, should I remind everyone the time I found all of your poems about Kira before you started dating?”

That earned a scowl from Scott and laughter from the rest of the group. Derek let Stiles show him how to make the famous Stilinski S’mores, which, apparently, were very popular in the pack. Everyone was grabbing them off the platter faster than Stiles could make them. When they were finally out of chocolate Derek found himself sitting next to Stiles on a blanket, treats in hand. Derek sunk his teeth into the sweet and sticky goodness. 

“Thoughts?” Stiles asked, tongue darting out to lick chocolate off of his lip.

“Consider me impressed.” Derek said, his eyes lingering on Stiles’ lips.

He was only able to snag another bite before Stiles was pulling him into a kiss. He could feel Stiles’ grinning against him, but Derek just kissed him harder. He tasted like chocolate and marshmallows. Salt water and sunshine. Happiness and hope. 

Home.

Stiles tasted like home.

**Author's Note:**

> Like seriously, this was supposed to be one fun beach scene and it just spiraled into this so hahah I hope you enjoyed it! A little bit different than what I normally write for them, but it was fun!


End file.
